Chris, the rig is nice and light rig is on the the OD,

I would like to have a lighter board - the main reason being it is easier to handle from water to the car and garage !!

Stiffer board would help in the water. i think there would be older sailors interested in a medium tech one board - one sail set up - for simple sailing/racing.

It may be in decline in some areas but here in Brisbane it's still going. Me and all my mates are still in highschool and we've all bought our own boards and rigs cheap off gumtree after doing a few lessons at RQYS, now we're all heading out together. I can see why you all loved it back in the 80s!

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FanaticYouth said..
It may be in decline in some areas but here in Brisbane it's still going. Me and all my mates are still in highschool and we've all bought our own boards and rigs cheap off gumtree after doing a few lessons at RQYS, now we're all heading out together. I can see why you all loved it back in the 80s!

You're just messing with us right?

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Agrid said..

FanaticYouth said..
It may be in decline in some areas but here in Brisbane it's still going. Me and all my mates are still in highschool and we've all bought our own boards and rigs cheap off gumtree after doing a few lessons at RQYS, now we're all heading out together. I can see why you all loved it back in the 80s!

You're just messing with us right?

What they do at RQYS is awesome, getting the young ones into it...
Bring on the stoke

A week ago at RQYS we had the youth nationals with 24 entries in techno, at the same time we had a come and try day and 25 opti sailors turned up . Plus the usual crew as mentioned above by fanaticyouth

There must have been over 50 kids windsurfing that morning.

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Agrid said..

FanaticYouth said..
It may be in decline in some areas but here in Brisbane it's still going. Me and all my mates are still in highschool and we've all bought our own boards and rigs cheap off gumtree after doing a few lessons at RQYS, now we're all heading out together. I can see why you all loved it back in the 80s!

You're just messing with us right?

Mate I'm not messing hahaha, we were down there during the Techno Nationals, but we were on our own boards and the clubs for the come and try day. Not competing, just mucking around.

Definitely more people coming back into it plus lots of younguns starting as well. At Narrabeen Lake there are at least 10 guys getting back into windsurfing and at least 6 kids with their parents all learning, great to see.
Yesterday at Budgey there were at least 20 to 25 people including kids and teenagers. All killing it. Excellent stuff!!!

How many on here have kids who windsurf? Mine both do (11 & 8) and the aim is to get them to the point where they get addicted and never stop, like all of us I guess.

Has anyone tried and failed to get their kids into it? What are the tips? Mine are;

1. Warm shallow water
2. Light breeze
3. The right gear - kids love boards with a soft deck so it is easy to climb on
4. Go where there are other kids around

The pics below are Dunsborough WA - a perfect spot if you get the chance, and half an hour from Margaret River where Dad can go for a sail when the wind fills in...

Windsurfing is far and away the worlds best kept secret,regarding sport anyway.

Using wave boards / sails and free ride boards / sails in anything other than radical conditions - that's the bit about our great sport I don't get Each to their own I guess.

Keeping the sport ALIVE here at Golden Beach. Having an Australia Day BBQ by the beach. 4 families, with 5 kids between,all keen to get back on the water. WOOOHOOO!!

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normster said..
Chris, the rig is nice and light rig is on the the OD,

I would like to have a lighter board - the main reason being it is easier to handle from water to the car and garage !!

Stiffer board would help in the water. i think there would be older sailors interested in a medium tech one board - one sail set up - for simple sailing/racing.

I can't see it getting critical mass. The guys who want that could get a Kona, which is lighter and a very good board in its way.

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Faff said..

Stretchy said..
Windsurfing seems to be considered an old mans sport atm, but give it time and I reckon it will become cool again, for those who want a real challenge .

It is indeed satisfying knowing that I am an ultra cool middle aged dude, even if my family don't seem to understand that yet

The average kiter is not exactly a spring chicken.

Kiting seems to attract a lot of older men near where I sail. But then I am 47 and my windsurfing mates are late 50s and early 60s. I have 2 boys who will windsurf, but I think we need more kids coming into the sport.

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Sputnik11 said..

Faff said..

Stretchy said..
Windsurfing seems to be considered an old mans sport atm, but give it time and I reckon it will become cool again, for those who want a real challenge .

It is indeed satisfying knowing that I am an ultra cool middle aged dude, even if my family don't seem to understand that yet

The average kiter is not exactly a spring chicken.

Kiting seems to attract a lot of older men near where I sail. But then I am 47 and my windsurfing mates are late 50s and early 60s. I have 2 boys who will windsurf, but I think we need more kids coming into the sport.

Over here all I see is smoking hot women who kite. I keep telling them they're in the wrong sport.. :)

Seeing more windsurfers than kiters here every single day. All season so far

Also seeing a doubling or tripling of newbie young ones (10-17 y/o's) this year which is awesome!!!!!

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Over here all I see is smoking hot women who kite. I keep telling them they're in the wrong sport.. :)

wrong suggestion - ask them to teach you

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joe windsurf said..

Over here all I see is smoking hot women who kite. I keep telling them they're in the wrong sport.. :)

wrong suggestion - ask them to teach you

Na, if I was gay I'd just tell my friends and family, i wouldn't need to tell everyone by becoming a kiter..

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cammd said..
A foil article in the windsurfing news section states windsurfing is still in decline and on the brink of existence. Is that correct?

Youth windsurfing is one of the largest one design fleets in the sailing world, I have heard local retailers report growing sales in windsurfing gear. Windsurfers nearly always out number kites at my local which btw has a nick name of "kite beach". Doesn't feel like its on the brink.

Is this article just a beat up to sell foils or is the sport still on the decline

Happy to say that I'm finally back into it after a 15-17 year hiatus! ...Not that I did much it of it in my 20's but always wanted more time on water.I won't call it a memory, because its a feeling - the 'feeling' of planning never leaves your body and I can't believe it took so long to get back on the water; but work, wife, kids, business does that to you.
On the plus side - gear these days seems so much lighter and easier to rig, and my kids think their old man is actually doing something pretty cool ...even though he still might look like a bit of a dork doing it

Going by the various threads over the years, seems like I'm not alone in getting back on the board. Hopefully it continues.

Yes. Who really cares though it is still the greatest sport.

Tom Luedecke was quoted in the media in the last day or so to the effect he has all but given up windsurfing but he is very happy to have participated at the top of the sport in the 1980s and 1990s.

If the over 55s like Luedecke can get back into the sport there could be a boom of sorts.

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DavidJohn said..
Just heard some exciting news about them re-inventing the Windsurfer One Design with a cheaper.. lighter.. easier and more maneuverable board that uses the same classic windsurfer rig.

I want one..

An excerpt from an interview with Dan Kaseler, Avanti Sails designer

www.windsurfingukmag.co.uk/string-theory-avanti-sails-dan-kaseler-interview/

Some windsurfers suggest the sport should be marketed more like cycling, as in a rounded sport that doesn't have to be as extreme as many media outlets make it to be. Do you agree with this? Could that be a way to attract larger numbers of windsurfing participants?

No. I'm going off script on this one. This is the complete wrong direction. Almost everybody has been making the argument since the late nineties that we need more recreational gear, more focus on beginner product, and more watered-down marketing. This path has been explored ad nausea-um for over fifteen years without measurable benefit.The fresh thinking is that rather re-invent the wheel, take a look at nearly every other solo sport, from surf to ski, and make note that growth has occurred when brands re-focused on the edginess that made it cool in the first place. Skiing was re-born due to the Canadian Air Force and the advent of the twin tip. Surf exploded when people started seeing posters of Slater deep in the pit on the walls of shoe stores at their local malls. I can't think of an example in our solo sport niche where diluting the messaging or making a glut of beginner products got things rolling. I say: push what's cool and the rest will follow.

Anybody have a test sail on the new wally? Any guess what the extra volume would be? Hope it gets to market. I love my wally, but a bit more volume for us over 85kg crowd would be awsome. Cheers Nev

Have acquired a endlessly long race board recently that doesn't turn and love the just for fun aspect .
I now look forward to getting wet in 5 - 10 kts , normally 15 .
Dont get me wrong , there is nothing better than planing , but ,
Faffing in 5 kts is better than digging stump holes and grumping for 15 kts.
Its like I get it all over again

i go in light winds with the kiters on foils - on my Mistral Equipe 2 XR
on a regular GOOD day ...
when i look at our local beach - we are over-run with kiters
and they are SUPPOSED to be further down the beach - as indicated in signs there

That is an interesting photo FJ...where was it from ?

Not in decline in Inverloch Victoria. The Club just ran a Training Day. We had 24 attend from young kids, teenagers, male and female and old folks like me. What truely put smiles on committee faces was to see 12 year olds, 20 year olds and 70 year olds male and females all out on the water having fun.
3 new club sign ups on the day

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Faff said..
An excerpt from an interview with Dan Kaseler, Avanti Sails designer

www.windsurfingukmag.co.uk/string-theory-avanti-sails-dan-kaseler-interview/

Some windsurfers suggest the sport should be marketed more like cycling, as in a rounded sport that doesn't have to be as extreme as many media outlets make it to be. Do you agree with this? Could that be a way to attract larger numbers of windsurfing participants?

No. I'm going off script on this one. This is the complete wrong direction. Almost everybody has been making the argument since the late nineties that we need more recreational gear, more focus on beginner product, and more watered-down marketing. This path has been explored ad nausea-um for over fifteen years without measurable benefit.The fresh thinking is that rather re-invent the wheel, take a look at nearly every other solo sport, from surf to ski, and make note that growth has occurred when brands re-focused on the edginess that made it cool in the first place. Skiing was re-born due to the Canadian Air Force and the advent of the twin tip. Surf exploded when people started seeing posters of Slater deep in the pit on the walls of shoe stores at their local malls. I can't think of an example in our solo sport niche where diluting the messaging or making a glut of beginner products got things rolling. I say: push what's cool and the rest will follow.

That doesn't seem right. For a start, it was when windsurfing started to focus on the edge that its boom ended. Secondly, the path to a more all-round sport has NOT been explored - look at the windsurfing brands' websites. It's edge, edge and more edge.

"Nearly every other solo sport" includes SUPping, which isn't all that edgy; plastic kayaks, which are definitely not edge; road cycling, which is far from edgy; and malibu surfing, which isn't edgy.

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fjdoug said..

DavidJohn said..
Just heard some exciting news about them re-inventing the Windsurfer One Design with a cheaper.. lighter.. easier and more maneuverable board that uses the same classic windsurfer rig.

I want one..

Yes I've now sailed one.. and sup'd it.. That pic was taken at Parkdale (Melb) last w/e.

It's awesome and although it's made in the Cobra factory it has nothing to do with Naish.

The huge weight saving should be enough to make people want to upgrade their old Wally to the new one.. and being slightly wider it's very stable for anyone wanting a sup/windsurf crossover board.

The best thing is that I've heard they will only cost about $700

www.facebook.com/windurferclassaus/videos/1599205080164982/

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fjdoug said..

DavidJohn said..
Just heard some exciting news about them re-inventing the Windsurfer One Design with a cheaper.. lighter.. easier and more maneuverable board that uses the same classic windsurfer rig.

I want one..

So being lighter and wider is it still classified as a Windsurfer "One Design"

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DavidJohn said..

fjdoug said..

DavidJohn said..
Just heard some exciting news about them re-inventing the Windsurfer One Design with a cheaper.. lighter.. easier and more maneuverable board that uses the same classic windsurfer rig.

I want one..

Yes I've now sailed one.. and sup'd it.. That pic was taken at Parkdale (Melb) last w/e.

It's awesome and although it's made in the Cobra factory it has nothing to do with Naish.

The huge weight saving should be enough to make people want to upgrade their old Wally to the new one.. and being slightly wider it's very stable for anyone wanting a sup/windsurf crossover board.

The best thing is that I've heard they will only cost about $700

Wow the Bic version is $1500 Aus . It would be impressive if they could sell a windsurfer for $700. Looks awesome btw.